Can opener



June 14, 1932. JACKSON 1,863,483

CAN OPENER Filed Oct. 3, 1927 INVENTOR G. L. JACKSON ATTORNEY Patented June 14, 1932 PATENT OFFICE GLENN L. JACKSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CAN OPENER Application filed October 3, 1927. Serial No. 223,778.

My invention relates to can openers, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a can opener in which use is made of a lever, this lever being disposed so that downward pressure will cause the cutting of the roan.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of'the type described in which a powerful cutting action is obtained without the necessity of holding the can itself. It very often happens that cans are placed in boiling water to heat or cookthe contents which are to be served hot, and the present invention obviates the necessity of holding the hot can.

A further object is to provide a device in which a powerful gripping action is applied to the can during the cutting thereof, thus obviating the danger that may result from the slipping of the device as may occur with ordinary can openers, and obviating any danger of cutting the hands.

A further object is to provide a can opener in which the blade is prevent-ed from going too far through the can top, the blade being held in such a position as to insure its maximum cutting efficiency.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

- My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a side view of one form of the device as applied to a can top,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of r Figure-3,

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a side view of a modified form of the device,

Figure 7 is a plan view of the form shown in Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is a section along the line 88 of Figure 1. p

In carrying out my invention, I provide an elongated body portion 1 which is made of metal and which is slotted as shown at 2 toreceive a substantially rectangular'boss 3 disposed at one corner of a rectangular pressure and guide plate 4:, the boss being preferably integral with the plate. This boss is provided with a slot 5 which is arranged to 60 receive a pivot pin 6 so as to give the pressure plate a pivotal movement with respect to the body portion 1 and also a slight slidable movement by reason of the slot. The boss 3 is provided with an opening 7, which in the 7 present instance I have shown as hexagonal, in order to receive the shank 8 of a cutter blade 9 which is held by means of a set screw 10. i

The body portion 1 is recessed on one side,

as shown at 11 in Figure 3, and has a threaded opening for a stub shaft 12, which in the present instance is in the form of a screw 7 bolt.

Mounted on the shaft 12 is a sleeve 13 which 7 in the present instance is of hexagonal shape.

A pair of rim gripping wheels is provided, such as those shown at 14 and 15 in Figures at and 5. These wheels have hexagonal openings to receive the sleeve 13 and are designed so to slide freely on the sleeve. It will be noted that the wheel 14 is the larger of the two and it is provided with a series of gripping edges or teeth formed radially with respect to the central axis of the shaft 12. The wheel 15 is also provided with teeth which are curved in the manner indicated in Figure 5, the edges of the teeth being in arcuate shape form, as shown in Figure 3.

In the preferred form of the invention, I make use of cam members. One of these cam members consists of a ring 16 having an opening arranged to'fit over the sleeve 13 and being provided with cam surfaces 17 arranged to engage similar cam surfaces on 9 the cam member 18 at one end of the handle 19.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation therer of may be readily understood. The device is assembled as shown in Figure 3, the smaller wheel 15 being adjacent to the wall of the body portion 1 in the recess therein and the wheel 14 being placed adjacent to the wheel 15 with the teeth opposing those of the wheel 15. The cam member 16 is slipped over the sleeve 13 and the cam member 18 together with the handle 19, is secured by passing the bolt through the assembled parts and screwing it into the threaded opening in the body portion 1. A lock nut 20 is then placed on the end of the bolt and drawn up tight so that the bolt serves as a pivot member about which the cam member 18 and the sleeve 18 may revolve freely without, however, having longitudinal movement.

In the operation of cutting the can, the handle 19 is grasped in one hand and the pressure plate in the other and the device is placed on the can top 21 with the bead 22 on the upper edge of the can disposed in the space between the wheels 15 and 14, as shown in Figure 3. Thepressure plate 4 is then swung out so that the blade 9 is disposed just inside of the bead 22. Pressure is now brought to bear on the pressure plate 4 so as to force the blade through the top of the can. The handle 19 at the beginning of the stroke is in the upper position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. With pressure exerted on the pressure plate with one hand, the handle at 19 is forced downwardly from the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 to the full line position. As the handle is turned, the cam member 18 will engage the beveled cam surface 1'? of the cam member 16, see Figure 2, and will tend to crowd the wheel 14 toward the wheel 15, thus gripping the head 22 securely. Rotation of the cam member 18 will eventually cause rotation of the cam member 16, and, since this is on the sleeve 13, the wheels 14 and15 will be revolved and by their gripping action will draw the blade along, thus cutting the can. On the reverse action; that is. when the handle 19 is raised,

the cam 17 will cause the beveled cam sur faces to separate; thus relieving the pressure on the cam 16 and hence on the wheel 15. The teeth of the gripping wheels 14 and 15 will ride over the rim until the forward movement is again made, when they will grip the rim and pull the cutter forwardly again. Thus by an oscillating motion, the can top is cut with a clean out immediately on the inner side of the bead.

On the under side of the lug 3, which, as stated before, is secured to the pressure plate 4, is an integral extension 3, see Figures 2 and 8, which, when the device is in its cutting position, rides on the rim 22 of the can. This limits the depth to which the blade 9 enters and thus maintains the blade in its most effective cutting position.

The device is designed to out cans of any size or shape, even those having rectangular tops. To this end, the pressure plate 4 may be swung on its pivot, as, for instance, to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.

It will be observed that the recess 11 in the body portion 1 in which the wheels 14 and 15 are disposed provides a housing which will prevent any injury to the operator in using the device. The bottom portion of this housing of course is open, as shown in Figure 3, in order to permit the wheels to engage the edge of the can, asdescribed.

While the device shown in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, is the preferred form of the device, it is possible to make an efficient can opener without the use of the cam members 16 and 18.

Thus in Figures 6 and 7 I have provided a body portion 1 which has an extension 1a through which a bolt 12 extends. This bolt is rotatably disposed in the body portion and a portion of the bolt is threaded. Wheels 14 and 15 similar to the wheels 14 and 15 in the preferred form are threaded and are screwed upon the bolt with their teeth opposing each other, as shown in Figure 7; The bolt 12 also extends'through a handle 19, and a nut 20 on the end ofthe bolt secures the handle 19' and the wheels 14' and 15 together so that they will turn together with the bolt. A pin '19ais passed through the handle and through the wheels 14 and ,15' to further insure the locking together of these members.

In Figure 6, I have shown a modified form of the cutter 9. This cutter, it will be observed, has cutting edges on the front and rear, so that. when it "is desired it may be removed and reversed to use either edge. The pressure plate' 4' in the modified form is shown of a different shape. It isobvious, however, that the pressure plate may be made in other shapes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will be noted that both the pressure plates 4 in Figure 1 and 4 in Figurefirhave downwardly curved portions. The-purpose of this is to provide an edge which conforms to the hand and also which may ride-on. the top of the can, thus forming anadditional supporting means.

In the form of the device shown in Figures 6 and 7, the bead 22 is placed between the teeth of the opposed wheels 14 and 15. the bladeis brought to, the inner edge of the bead and is forced into the can top as .described. Then by working the handler19 upwardly and downwardly, the blade 9" will be drawn forward to cut'the top. In this form of the device, as in the preferred form, the cutting stroke is accomplished by a downward movement of the lever.

In both forms of the device as set forth above, it will be observed that the teeth of the wheels are so arranged as to grip in a forward movement but to permit the teeth to slide over the gripped portion of the can in the reverse movement. This is one of the reasons why I may dispense with the cams and which makes the form shown in Figures 6 and 7 perfectly operative, due largely to the way the teeth of the gripping members are arranged.

I claim:

1. A can opener comprising a body portion, a pair of opposed gripping wheels rotatably mounted on said body portion, a cam member disposed in engagement with one of said wheels, a handle having a cam portion arranged to engage said cam member to cause a bodily movement of one of said wheels along its axis when the handle is rotated, and a blade connected with said body portion and arranged to enter the can top.

2. A can opener comprising a body portion, a pair of opposed gripping'wheels rotatably mounted on said body portion, a cam member disposed in engagement with one of said wheels, a handle having a cam portion arranged to engage said cam member to cause a bodily movement of one of said wheels along its axis when the handle is rotated, a blade connected with said body portion and arranged to enter the can top, and a pressure plate for moving the blade toward and away from the edge of the can and for forcing it through the can top.

3. A can opener comprising a body portion having a recess, a shaft carried by the body portion. a pair of opposed gripping wheels mounted on said shaft and disposed within the recess, a cam member carried by said shaft in engagement with one of said wheels. a handle mounted for rotation on the shaft and having a cam surface arranged to engage the cam member for forcing one of the wheels toward the other, a pressure plate having a slot, a pin disposed in said slot for pivotally and slidably mounting the pressure plate upon the body portion, and a blade removably carried by said pressure plate and adapted to be forced into the can top by pressure upon said pressure plate.

4. In a can opener. a pair of opposed gripping wheels adapted to grip the rim of a can. a cam member associated with one of said gripping wheels, and an oscillatory handle having a cam portion arranged to engage said cam member to cause a bodily movement of one of said wheels along its axis when the handle is oscillated.

5. A can opener comprising a body portion, a rotatable gripping means carried thereby and adapted for engaging the rim of a can, a plate member, a cutting element connected with the plate member, said plate member being provided with a slot therein, and a pivot pin connected with the body portion and extending through the slot whereby said plate may be pivotally connected with 

